Club pressing on with plans to meet ground targets

PLANS have been lodged for the second phase of work at a Carmarthenshire football club to improve facilities and crowd capacity.

Cwmamman United AFC, which plays at Grenig Park in Glanamman, is competing in Division 1 of the Welsh Football League in 2018-19 after securing promotion last season.

However the thriving side was told to upgrade its ground in order to be in line with the requirements set out by the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

Failing to come up to the standards required could see the club relegated.

The first phase of a 100 seater stand and two dugouts was completed in April 2018.

Other measures within phase one of the project included extending the pitch by a further six metres by removing a large bank at the northern end of the ground, along with the installation of a drainage system and reinstating the playing surface.

A tea room, PA system, disabled access, floodlights, fencing and security shuttering are all part of the overall plans.

The work is expected to cost £201,000 – and Carmarthenshire Council’s executive board approved a recommendation over the summer to hand the club £125,000.

Some funding for the upgrade work has already been secured, including £39,000 in sponsorship and donations, £25,000 from the FAW and £5,000 from Ammanford Town Council.

This new application is for the second phase of a further 150-seater stand to meet the criteria of 250 seats at the ground.

The planning application from the club states “The club has to meet the criteria for Welsh League Tier Two grounds by April 2019.”

Turning to Grenig Park’s overall usage, the application adds: “Cwmamman United AFC play their senior first team football in the Welsh League Division One.

“The reserve side play in the Neath and District League along with 10 junior and mini teams.”

Once phase two is completed the club states that Cwmamman United will have a ground that meets FAW standards and a venue that the community will be proud of.

The club was founded in 1946 and originally played in the Ammanford and District League.

It now has in excess of 300 playing members and is said to have the largest junior club participation in Wales.

Looking further ahead to a third phase of the project, there are hopes of installing a 4G all-weather pitch alongside the main ground, which will play a crucial role in junior football in the Amman Valley.

The club said within its current application: “This facility will guarantee continuous playing time for many children involved.

“Including both training and match practice.

“It will also avoid the huge backlog of postponed matches for the second, third and youth teams, while providing facilities for training use in the wider Amman Valley, a beacon of football within the valley.”

The plans for the 150-seater stand as part of phase two will be discussed by Carmarthenshire Council in the near future.